Fashion has become an intrinsic part of today’s visual culture. Magazines, glossies and women’s journals cannot exist without fashion. But on the same time, fashion cannot exist without these just mentioned media. The media has played a crucial role in shaping fashion into the cultural phenomenon as it is now. But gong back to the roots, if we can think about the invention of photography, TV, films and most importantly the internet, we have shifted from a verbal culture to a visual culture.

The visual culture of this time is both omnipresent, so to be found everywhere is complex. And it is getting more and more complex because of new technologies. The image does not stand on itself anymore, but it is usually integrated with text and music. This also counts for fashion. A fashion photograph is now accompanied by a text or a capture and a fashion show is not the same, interesting show without music.

Not only the art form of fashion says something about culture. The commercial aspect is as important as well. Maybe this is even more important, since you experience this in daily life. People in Africa are dressing completely different then us, just because of their cultural habits. So, when looking at all these facts, it is actually quite logical that fashion belongs to visual culture.

He is the most renowned fashion photographer in India. This conversation with him taught me how important it is to imbibe my life and life experiences in my work. How crucial it is to be reflected in your work, that is what makes my work unique. I have been trying to do that, I try to involve my cultural influences in most of my work. It has helped me stand out, however I am confused on continuing that as I plan to work in London after graduation and I am not sure whether a project inspired by Indian would seem appealing to a publication or agency in London to employ me ?

His work is the perfect amalgamation of our culture and global trends. I started to think about how does one’s culture reflect an individuals style? Millennials today are so obsessed with the ever changing trends, its really difficult to distinguish their origins and the cultures they belong to form the way they dress up.

There is an apparent interaction of shifts in consumer lifestyle, fashion and culture.It is essential to realize that fashion is made by people living in different cultures and different locations. If we want to understand fashion and its trend then it is necessary to understand what surround us in terms of the way we live. It is our society and culture which is our surrounding and they are the ones which influence our lifestyle. Development of new fashions has mainly three sources in terms of culture. They are: High culture, low culture and pop culture. (Anon., 2010)

Anon., 2010. Cultural influences on trend forecasting. [Online]

Available at: http://www.intothefashion.com/2010/01/cultural-influences-on-trend.html